Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Dhayanithi Rajendiran

Hiep The Tran

Christopher Dinh

Min Young Kim

Min Woo Lee

The present disclosure generally relates to methods and systems for allocating free blocks as decommissioned blocks to replace bad blocks. In certain embodiments, when there are insufficient free blocks in a free block list to replace a bad or defective block for a CE, an FTL scans blocks stored in an unallocated block repository. If there are unallocated blocks available for the CE, one or more is reallocated as free blocks and used to replace the bad or defective block. When only one or no further unallocated blocks for the CE are available, the FTL places the CE in a read-only mode.

Block allocation for multi-CE/die structure SSD

Aspects of a storage device including a memory and a controller are provided which simplify controller management of logical and physical meta-dies and meta-blocks by allowing a logical meta-die to be mapped to multiple physical meta-dies. The memory includes first dies grouped in a first physical meta-die and second dies grouped in a second physical meta-die. The physical meta-dies each include physical meta-blocks. The controller maps a logical meta-die to the first physical meta-die and the second physical meta-die. The controller may also map logical meta-blocks of the logical meta-die to the physical meta-blocks. For instance, the controller may associate a first logical metablock of the logical meta-die to the first physical meta-die and a second logical metablock of the logical meta-die to the second physical meta-die. As a result, firmware complexity in managing meta-dies and meta-blocks may be reduced compared to one-to-one logical-to-physical meta-die mapping approaches.

Growing community of inventors

Milpitas, CA, United States of America

Dhayanithi Rajendiran